dénouement
by ichilover3
Summary: It's fake, and he hates it. This girl, smiling and polite and sugary sweet, is not who he wants to talk to. He wants the spitfire that swears in English and takes down men twice her size. [High school!AU] [Drabblefic]
1. Chapter 1

**I have absolutely no business starting another chapterfic. Yet, of course, here I am~ ^_^;;**  
**To be fair, this is one of the fics that have been sitting on my laptop for a while, partially finished. But I've decided to post it to help force me to write things! It will be a true drabblefic—no chapters will be over 100 words, and I will try to update every day. Hopefully, this will get my creative juices flowing (because you know that's _true _laziness, when you can't even write 100 words a day. lol). **

* * *

_Kuchiki Rukia_ the board reads. The girl in question is ridiculously small, not even hitting five feet tall, and the smile she throws at the class gives Ichigo the jeebies. It's fake, all of it, from her high-pitched voice to her small curtsy. He can tell right away, because while her smile looks plastered on for show, her eyes are solely her—sharp, intelligent. But no one else seems to notice, and they all drink in the new transfer student's act.

"You'll be sitting next to Kurosaki-kun," the teacher informs her.

Her eyes shift to his. She freezes.

* * *

**A/N: I have zero idea where this fic is going lmao**


	2. Chapter 2

It is only a split second, just a moment that her facade slips, but he sees it all the same.

He's slightly annoyed, but not surprised. It's the kind of reaction he gets all the time—having orange hair automatically profiles him as a delinquent. His scowl deepens.

But she blinks, and the girly demeanor snaps back in place. She makes her way down the aisle, slips into the seat adjacent to his.

All without sparing him another glance.

Ichigo's annoyance rises. _Uppity bitch._


	3. Chapter 3

The new girl doesn't bother taking notes. Instead, she doodles, though from his desk, Ichigo can't tell what.

Not that he cares.

The new girl smiles her fake smile when addressed, but doesn't say much and disappears during lunch time.

Not that he notices.

When the bell rings, she packs up her things, exits the school gates, and slides into the back of an expensive car with tinted windows, all without having spoken to anyone but the teacher all day.

Not that he was watching her.

His classmates whisper and gossip about her. Ichigo scowls, and heads home.


	4. Chapter 4

It's after a few days of sitting next to the transfer that Ichigo can't help but be curious about her.

Despite having a little time to adjust, her behavior doesn't change. She barely pays the teacher any attention, preferring to litter her paper with, Ichigo is dismayed to find, _cartoon bunnies_. She barely replies when she is addressed, and her smiles are cloyingly sweet.

He's almost positive that she purposely avoids looking in his direction. He's annoyingly annoyed about it.

And as soon as class is over, she slips into her fancy car's backseat.

Until one day she doesn't.


	5. Chapter 5

Yuzu had asked him to pick up a few things for dinner, so he's headed home, backpack in one hand and groceries in the other when he hears the commotion.

"I said no," a voice says coolly, its tone enough for Ichigo to peek into an alley curiously. And there she is, the transfer student, looking simultaneously exactly and nothing at all as he remembered. Gone is the bubbly expression; instead, her eyes can cut steel.

She is surrounded by a group of hoodlums that Ichigo knows from experience is bad news. But she doesn't seem the least bit intimidated.


	6. Chapter 6

"C'mon, baby," one of them sneers. "We can show you a real good time."

She glares at them frostily, and Ichigo can see the fire that he had known was behind her good-girl act. "Get out of the way." She attempts to push through their circle of bodies, but meets resistance. "_Don't you assholes understand?!"_ she hisses in such clear, unaccented English that Ichigo is momentarily stunned.

But then one of them grabs her arm.

Ichigo drops his bags and moves.


	7. Chapter 7

Faster than Ichigo can see, the new girl has the handsy thug facedown on the asphalt, the offending hand bent painfully behind him and her knee securely nudged in his back. "I said _no._"

The other three delinquents get angry. "You little bitch!" one of them snarls, reaching for her.

Ichigo promptly elbows him in the head. "Leave her alone," he says nonchalantly.

She looks up at him in surprise. The guys' heads snap to him indignantly.

"Kurosaki!" the one he elbowed snaps, hand on his stinging head. "Mind your business!"

Ichigo scowls. "She _is_ my business."


	8. Chapter 8

"What?" the one she's on top of mumbles into the gravel. "She your girlfrien' or somethin'?"

Ichigo doesn't bother answering his question. Instead, he lifts the idiot by his collar, smashes his head into the ground, and turns to his friends menacingly. "Leave."

He can see the wheels in their moronic brains turning—did they really want to get their asses kicked by Kurosaki Ichigo and some she-devil? Was it worth it?

"Come on," the one he elbowed says resentfully. "She ain't even hot."

The new girl twists her thug's arm for good measure, then hops off of him.


	9. Chapter 9

They're angry, but they finally leave, exiting the alley on the opposite side.

The new girl brushes gravel off her uniform.

"What the hell were you doing here?" Ichigo demands.

Her eyes narrow. They're a strange color—at first glance blue, but kind of purple in the right light. "Looking for something." It's strange to see her looking at him so directly. "_I didn't ask for your help_," she mutters to herself.

English again. He picks up her backpack, hands it to her. "_You didn't need to_." He sees the shock on her face, but turns and heads home.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day at school, he inadvertently saves her from another ambush. The girls in their class had apparently decided to act on their distaste for the new girl's aloofness and are crowded around her desk (and his by default), plying her with questions.

"Where are you from?"

"Would you like to eat lunch with us? I made extra!"

"Where are you staying?"

And the new girl just gapes at them, wide-eyed and looking overwhelmed.

His classmates make a path for him. He slides into his seat and gives the new girl a bored glance.


	11. Chapter 11

"G-Good morning, Kurosaki-kun!" one of the girls stutters. She wrings her hands together.

"Hey, Inoue," he answers, distractedly opening his backpack.

Inoue's face turns a bright red, and he wonders if she's sick. He looks at Tatsuki, their mutual friend, for an explanation, but she just shakes her head. Ichigo inwardly shrugs. Despite being the smartest, best looking, and most popular girl in class, Inoue Orihime has always been a weird one.

"We were just getting to know Kuchiki-san," Inoue chirps.

Ah, Kuchiki's her name. He's terrible with them.

"Want to share lunch?" Inoue offers Kuchiki again. Ichigo blanches.


	12. Chapter 12

"That's very kind of you, Inoue-san," Kuchiki responds, her voice so sugary-sweet that Ichigo looks at her incredulously. Was this seriously the same girl who had dropkicked a guy twice her size the day before? "I would—"

"Sorry Inoue," he interrupts shooting Tatsuki a nervous glance, "she's already brought her lunch. Wouldn't want to waste it."

The long-haired girl pouts. "That's too bad. Maybe next time, Kuchiki-san?"

Kuchiki smiles, but Ichigo can tell she's just gritting her teeth. "Next time."

The teacher enters the room, and everyone hurries back to their seats.

Kuchiki's eyes are murderous.


	13. Chapter 13

"I didn't bring a lunch today," she says lowly, her tone completely different from the one she used before.

Ichigo takes notes indifferently. But as soon as the teacher's back is turned, Kuchiki reaches over and punches him in the jaw. He reels back, hand covering the area and hissing. "The fuck?"

Kuchiki is nonchalant. "I didn't bring a lunch today," she repeats. "Now I'm going to be hungry. And it's your fault."

What, was this chick bipolar or something? "You wouldn't want Inoue's lunch anyway, trust me!" At her glare, he huffs agitatedly. "Fine, you can share mine."


	14. Chapter 14

She's impatient as he takes out his bento, huffy. She leers. "Why'd you bring me all the way up here? To murder me?"

He rolls his eyes and tosses a pair of chopsticks at her. "I always eat up here. Are you hungry or not?"

She gives him and the roof one last suspicious look before glancing into the box and seeing pandas smiling at her. She raises an eyebrow.

He scoffs. "My sister makes my lunch—you know what, I don't have to explain myself to you! Eat!"

A small smile graces her lips. She eats.


	15. Chapter 15

There's something about the way she's eating—the chopsticks are comfortable in her hand, but not natural. He frowns, unable to ignore it all. "Where are you from, anyway?"

Her mouth is full of rice though she takes ladylike bites. "Chicago," she mumbles around it. And, when he tilts his head, she elaborates, "America."

He is surprised at this, despite all of the clues. She looks distinctly Japanese, though she could be mixed with something else. "You're American?"

She nods, taking another bite of food. "Are you giving me your whole lunch or…?"

Ichigo quickly reaches for his extra chopsticks.

* * *

**A/N: Why yes, I did just make Rukia a girl from the Southside of Chicago. FIGHT ME**


	16. Chapter 16

They are quiet while they eat, though she keeps glancing at him enough for him to demand, "What?"

She pauses. "What was your name again?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he responds gruffly. "Yours?"

"Kuchiki Rukia." _Rukia_, that was her given name. "Ichigo, you're fluent in English?"

"I'm not fluent." He rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed. "It's just one of my best subjects."

"Sounded pretty fluent to me."

"Well, your Japanese is pretty fluent for an American."

She smiles, and he feels a weird tingle down his spine. "Not fluent. I'm still learning."

"Is that why you're here?"

Her smile widens.


	17. Chapter 17

It is at this moment that Ichigo's friends decide to make an appearance.

"Ichigoooo," Keigo wails, rushing over to them, "why didn't you tell me you were dating the transfer?"

"Because I'm not." He gestures vaguely to Rukia, who is still picking a chunk of egg out of the bento in his hand. "She forgot her lunch."

Mizuiro raises an eyebrow. "That's it? You two look mighty close. Everyone's going to think you're dating."

"If I cared what everyone else thought," Ichigo scoffs, "I would have dyed my hair a long time ago."


	18. Chapter 18

Rukia gives him a sidelong look, but says nothing. His friends sit down next to them, unpacking their own lunches. "Hey, Chad," he greets the straggler.

The tall man nods in greeting, equally baffled by Ichigo's actions, but not saying anything.

What's the big deal? The transfer was hungry, and Yuzu always packs too much. Still, his friends are obsessively curious and he can feel how tense Rukia has become beside him. He elbows her lightly in the side, getting an icy glare in return. "Relax. These guys are cool."

"I'm sure." Her voice drips with sugar.

He frowns.


	19. Chapter 19

It's fake, and he hates it. This girl, smiling and polite and sugary sweet, is not who he wants to talk to. He wants the spitfire that swears in English and takes down men twice her size. At least she's interesting; at least she's _real_.

Still, his friends are completely charmed as she laughs at the dumb joke Keigo tells, as she hands Ichigo back his chopsticks, stands, and bows formally to him. "Thank you for your kindness."

He wants to annoy her, to pound on her metaphorical door and see who answers.

But just that quickly, she's gone.


	20. Chapter 20

"Are you dating Kurosaki-kun?" the girl from before asks her worriedly. Rukia had only wanted a moment to herself, but clearly the girls of her class had been watching her, as they found her lounging in a tree, mere moments after she had climbed up there.

She pushes down the urge to throw her shoe and puts on a pleasant expression.

"It's just," the girl—Inoue, was it?—continues to babble, "you sit next to him in class…"

Rukia wonders if it would be too rude to point out that that was the alphabet's doing. Inoue couldn't be that daft.


	21. Chapter 21

"And we saw you eating lunch with him!" a bespectacled girl accuses. "You need to back off! Hime has liked him since middle school!"

Inoue looks embarrassed. "Chizuru! Um, Kuchiki-san, I…"

"We're not dating," Rukia informs her shortly. She clears her throat, pastes a smile onto her face. "Ichi—Kurosaki-san was just being nice."

The girl with the short hair frowns. "Ichigo is never _nice_. Not on purpose, at least."

"It's okay if you like him too, Kuchiki-san!" Inoue momentarily brightens. "Because then it would be two against one, and we would beat Kurosaki-kun for sure!"

Rukia is stunned silent.


	22. Chapter 22

Inoue laughs, and her friends all smile at her antics. Rukia wonders what dimension she has suddenly been zapped to.

"I don't like him," she insists. "We're just…friends." And that word is a little strong, but in the back of her mind she sees him, scowling and about to beat down thugs for her, and it rolls off her tongue.

Still, she forces the image out. Whether she likes him or hates him…it is all so troublesome. Love, companionship, friendship…it's all nothing but trouble.

When the time comes, when she has to leave—

Rukia jumps down and walks past them.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry guys! My work schedule has been really unpredictable lately, and I hadn't realized how much time had passed. Hopefully I can get more writing done this weekend.**


	23. Chapter 23

She feels eyes on her for the rest of the day, but she doesn't look up. She doesn't return the curious glances from the orange-haired boy next to her. She doesn't smile at the cautious ones she's sure the other girls in class send her. Instead, she draws Chappy all over her notebook, unable to pay attention to the teacher's droning.

When it is finally time to leave, Rukia quickly packs up her things.

"Hey."

She pretends she doesn't hear him, slipping down the aisle and out the door like a ghost. The chauffeur opens the car door for her.


	24. Chapter 24

Rukia lives in the penthouse of Karakura's only luxury apartment building, and it is something she's not used to.

She is still awkward when the cooks serve her dinner—she's never had hired help before, and it's strange to have them waiting for her after school, to have dinner piping hot on the table at six every night without having to lift a finger.

Daintily, she sips her soup. The servants mostly leave her be, and Nii-sama is still at the office.

Still, on the rare times he joins her, the emptiness doesn't dissipate.

She retires early for the night.


	25. Chapter 25

The next day is relatively the same. Her novelty seems to be wearing off, so she only gets a few conspicuous glances, but she continues to ignore them.

She spends lunch in the safety of her tree, munching on a sweet roll she got out of a vending machine, and she almost makes it completely through the day without any interaction at all. But just when the bell rings and she's about to split—

"Rukia."

Of course it's him. And he's grabbed her by the elbow, so she can't pretend she didn't hear him this time.

She turns.


	26. Chapter 26

His touch is light, but she looks pointedly where his fingers touch her and he immediately lets go, an embarrassed flush creeping up his neck. She finds it admittedly adorable.

"Weren't you listening at all?" he asks gruffly. "We're partners."

She blinks, waiting for him to elaborate. She can still feel the warmth of his fingers on her skin.

He scoffs, as if she is a huge pain. "The English project."

Behind him, the busty girl is watching them. Rukia shifts. "What?"

"We can get started at my house," he huffs. "Come on."


	27. Chapter 27

"Why didn't you pick Inoue as your partner?" she asks as they meander to his house.

Ichigo glances at her in confusion, but she doesn't look back, instead texting away on her phone. "Inoue? Why would I—"

"I mean, I get why you picked me." She smirks, finally meeting his eye. Which is a feat, considering she's so fucking short. "Native speaker and all."

"I didn't pick you," he retorts. "I would never pick someone so violent."

"Excuse you," she snaps, punching him hard in the hip. He yelps. "I'm not violent. I'm a fucking lady."

* * *

**A/N: Not even going to lie. Life got in the way, and then I completely forgot this fic existed and wrote smutty Hitsukarin AUs instead. lol**

**Let's see if I can get this rolling again!**


	28. Chapter 28

He wisely doesn't say anything to that. Instead, he inclines his head toward her curiously. "Why do you keep climbing trees?"

She looks thrown off by the sudden question, and Ichigo realizes too late what he has just admitted.

"Are you stalking me?" Rukia retaliates, violet eyes gleaming mischievously.

"No," Ichigo snaps.

"Is there even a project?" she asks dramatically, really hamming it up. "Or did you just want to get me alone?"

"Of course there's a project!" he huffs. "I just noticed you eating alone, is all."

She smirks, pats his arm condescendingly. "It's okay if you like me."


	29. Chapter 29

"I don't like you," he sputters. "I tolerate you. I barely know you."

"I beg to differ." He really wishes she would stop looking at him like that, like his very existence amuses her. "You've already shared your lunch with me. That's a big deal here, isn't it?"

He gapes. "You forced me to!"

"And now you're taking me to meet your family! On the second date, too. Wow, this must be serious."

He's definitely red now. "This is not a date! And there was never a first one!"

She shrugs, oh too pleased with herself. "Are we getting married?"


	30. Chapter 30

He knows she's just messing with him, just trying to get a rise out of him, but it's working and he can't help it. "Definitely not!"

"Oh?" She shoots him an innocent look. "Don't you want to make an honest woman out of me?"

"There's nothing to be honest about," he retorts.

"Don't you want American citizenship?"

"Not particularly."

"Meh." She shrugs again. "Just as well. Our kids would probably end up looking like"—she gestures vaguely at his face—"that."

"What?" he asks defensively.

"Scowley."

"I don't scowl."

"You're doing it right now."

Ichigo relaxes his face. "Shut up."


	31. Chapter 31

He wonders if she is actually insane, if he is bringing a crazy person into his home. She'll probably fit right in, if he's honest.

Rukia starts laughing, and Ichigo feels himself relax. "Well if you're not courting me, I can only assume you're going to murder me. Is that what's happening? You're plotting to kill me?"

He rolls his eyes. "It's sounding increasingly appealing the more you talk, but no, that is not what's happening."

"Okay, good." She shoots him a sidelong glance. "And I like high places."

His brow furrows. "What?"

She looks away. "Why I climb trees."


	32. Chapter 32

_Kurosaki Clinic_ the building announces, and Rukia raises an eyebrow in surprise, yet says nothing.

Ichigo starts to open the door, but stops, head tilted to the side as if he's listening for something.

"What?" Rukia demands.

Wordlessly, he places a hand on her shoulder. She jumps a little, still not used to his fingers on her skin, but he merely guides her to the side of the doorway. "What?" she repeats.

Ichigo opens the door and ducks. A man flies out, kicking right where the boy's head had just been. He crashes to the ground, and Ichigo scoffs.


	33. Chapter 33

"You're getting good," the bearded man wheezes from below.

Ichigo frowns, tapping him with his foot. "We have company. Stop being so weird."

"Company?" For the first time, the man seems to see Rukia, and he looks at her with interest.

She isn't sure what's going on, so she remembers her manners and smiles. "Pleasure to meet you sir," she says with a dainty curtsy. The man raises a hand in greeting.

Ichigo rolls his eyes, disgusted. "Come on, we've got work to do." He walks into the house, slipping off his shoes as he goes. Rukia follows his lead.


	34. Chapter 34

They pass a kitchen, where two young girls look at her curiously. One, hair a dusty brown, is stirring a pot over a stove, though the stirring pauses at the sight of Rukia. The other, hair dark as night, sits at the kitchen table, looking up from her homework with mild interest.

"Oh," the one by the stove says, soft eyes flicking to Rukia. "Should I set another place at the table?"

Ichigo shakes his head. "She's not stay—" He swears when an elbow jabs painfully into his side.

"I would love to," Rukia croons. "It smells delicious."


	35. Chapter 35

She seems to have both girls' full attention now. The dark-haired one's eyebrows are at her hairline. The other smiles brightly at the compliment, apparently not having seen Rukia's act of violence. "It should be ready in half an hour!"

"I look forward to it," Rukia replies, smiling earnestly. Then, without any extra thought, she grabs Ichigo by the wrist and drags him out of the room.

He comes along willingly for a few steps before stopping her with a frown. "You don't even know where you're going."

"Then show me," she retorts, smirking. "It's almost dinnertime."


	36. Chapter 36

He leads her to his bedroom, where she promptly plops onto his bed.

"Oh no." He shakes his head repeatedly. "Get off my bed."

"Why?" she smirks, smoothing down her skirt. "Weren't you planning on ravishing me?"

He sputters, eyes wide and face quickly reddening. "N-no one's ravishing anyone—"

Rukia inwardly laughs. _Too easy_. "The bed is much more comfortable than the floor, you know."

"_No one is_—"

He's interrupted by loud whispering outside the door. A vein in his forehead becomes visible as his blood pressure rises and rises.


	37. Chapter 37

She knows she should stop messing with him, but she can't help it. From the first moment she saw him, Ichigo had seemed to be in a constant state of cool, uncaring. Nothing anyone said seemed to bother him all that much.

But the slightest teasing from her and suddenly color springs to his face and his words stop working and the stammering starts. It makes her feel important, and that isn't something she feels often.

Ichigo opens his bedroom door and his father and one of his sisters practically tumble into the room, a sheepish look on their faces.


	38. Chapter 38

"Sorry, Ichi-nii," the light-haired girl practically yells, startled. "I was just…"

"She was just trying to see what you were doing alone in your room with a pretty girl," the other sister calls from down the hall. "Our brother doesn't have girls over very often, by the way. Especially not nines."

Ichigo's scowl settles deeper into his face.

"Nine?" Rukia asks.

"Out of ten," the light-haired one supplies with a blush.

"Which is exactly why I needed to make sure my son does everything right," Ichigo's father booms. "He's lucky to get any woman with that ugly mug of his."


	39. Chapter 39

Rukia thinks about mentioning that despite hair color, Ichigo and his father look very much alike, but at that moment, the boy in question snarls. "Go away!"

"We just wanted to see if you would woo her," the light-haired girl whines.

From her spot in the hallway, the dark-haired girl crosses her arms and smirks. "I told you this was a bad idea."

"This young lady looks too smart to be wooed by him," the man says matter-of-factly.

Ichigo's eyebrow tics as Rukia nods reasonably. "Go _away_," he repeats, shutting the door on his father's face with a _crack_.


	40. Chapter 40

He grumbles intelligibly to himself. Rukia looks down at her clasped hands.

"I like your family."

He looks at her oddly, frowning, and she knows he's heard something in the tone of her voice.

That wasn't what she intended.

She realizes in between his family's antics that she's jealous. She recognizes the hollowness creeping back into her bones, and she no longer feels like teasing him. She doesn't meet his eyes.

"Sorry if they offended you." An apology is the last thing she expects, and she feels worse. He's still frowning. "They mean well."

_Of course they do_.


	41. Chapter 41

"I like your family," she repeats, softly, then clears her throat. "So what exactly is this project that we're supposed to be doing?"

He looks like he wants to say more, but he doesn't. Apparently, Kurosaki Ichigo isn't one to press, and Rukia is grateful for that. "It's essentially a book report. And a class presentation."

Her sigh gathers deep in her chest, but she merely closes her eyes for a moment and allows it to dissipate. "On what book?"

He scowls. "The one we've been reading all week."

Rukia hums noncommittally. She hasn't read it, and doesn't intend to.


	42. Chapter 42

**Why hello, friends!**

**Just wanted to take a moment to point out what I mentioned in chapter 1, as well as what is currently in the fic summary: this is a drabblefic. Although the word "drabble" is thrown around a lot in fanfiction (and I am just as guilty of using it incorrectly), the true definition of a drabble is 100 words. As I've mentioned before, this fic is kind of a creative exercise for me, so if you're still commenting about how the chapters should be longer, you're really missing the point and I'm not sure how else I can explain it to you. Either you can roll with my experimental idea or you can't—but please stop telling me my chapters are too short and understand what you're getting into when I take the time to point it out to you on multiple occasions.**

**Not directed at anyone in particular, but I've gotten enough comments about length that I'm starting to wonder if I haven't been clear enough lol**

**Now back to our regularly scheduled 100 words ;D**

* * *

They do their work—or, rather, Ichigo does it, and Rukia agrees to all his suggestions, mind elsewhere. Normally, this would irritate him. He would make enough of a fuss to rile her up, and that faraway look in her eyes would disappear. But he knows that now's not the time, and he leaves her to her thoughts until Yuzu's tentative knock on his door alerts them to dinner.

Rukia follows him silently down the stairs, mouth smiling, eyes not. She sits in the chair next to his, the one that has been empty for years and years. He swallows.


	43. Chapter 43

"My brother has really shitty manners sometimes," the dark-haired girl says nonchalantly. Rukia blinks at how comfortable the swear seems on her lips. What is she, thirteen at the most? "I'm Karin, and this" –she gestures to her sister—"is Yuzu."

"_My_ manners are shitty?" Ichigo snorts. "You guys have been harassing her since the moment she got here."

The light-haired girl—Yuzu, Rukia corrects herself—bites her lip, looking at Rukia worriedly. "We're so sorry—"

Rukia waves her hand, introducing herself. "You're just looking out for your brother. Never apologize for that."

She ignores Ichigo's calculating gaze.


	44. Chapter 44

Yuzu has prepared some sort of stew, and she places the bowl in front of her with soft, shy eyes. It is nothing like the meals Rukia eats in her brother's home, whose flavors never seem to reach her tongue, and aren't prepared with nearly as much heart as the young girl has clearly poured into her meal.

"Thank you," Rukia says, voice tight with sudden emotion before she clears her throat. She looks from sister to sister to father, finally settling on Ichigo. "Thank you all for your hospitality."

Ichigo holds her gaze, brows furrowing slightly. Saying nothing.


	45. Chapter 45

It is Karin who breaks their silence, immediately dissipating the strange energy that was starting to brew between them. "So, where are you from, Rukia?"

"Karin-chan!" Yuzu admonishes, scandalized.

Karin shrugs. "What? She obviously talks funny. Were we all just going to ignore that?"

"It's not nice to make fun of your brother's girlfriend," Ichigo's father scolds. "We don't want to scare her away. We all know how long it took for him to get one."

Ichigo eats his dinner, unbothered. At least, until his foot shoots out at his father's chair leg. The bearded man tips over.


	46. Chapter 46

Rukia watches the whole exchange with mild surprise, mostly at the nonchalance of it all. All three Kurosaki siblings continue eating as their father cries, drags himself across the floor to a wall with a giant poster, and moans his displeasure to it. Karin looks at her expectantly, and Rukia's mind struggles to backtrack. "America."

The dark-haired sibling nods approvingly, and her sister squeals. "I've always wanted to go to America! What's it like?"

For some reason, her attention is drawn back to the woman on the poster, smiling, pretty, eternally patient. Forgiving of crying grown men.

"…Different," she answers.


	47. Chapter 47

He doesn't mean to, but Ichigo finds himself watching Rukia just a bit too closely.

She seems to fit right into his family, talking to Yuzu about one of her favorite cartoons (the one with that stupid bunny…Cheepy?), offering to play soccer with Karin (apparently, she played a lot as a child), taking Isshin's antics in stride.

With his family—with _him_—Rukia seems to let down the walls she constantly has up, seems to be herself.

And sometimes, when she's herself, and not that fake, giggling _thing_, Ichigo can see the dark parts of her peeping through.

* * *

**A/N: *Rises from the dead because I'm pissed the fuck off* DON'T TRY ME, KUBO. YOU BETTA NOT**


	48. Chapter 48

He's not put off by this. On the contrary, the darkness lurking beneath her chipper visage draws him in, makes him watch her, waiting for more signs of it. Because while others may describe it as ugly, Ichigo sees it as _real_, raw. He knows firsthand the urge to hide that part away, to pretend he isn't being gnawed out from the inside, because to show that would be dangerous. She could be shattered—and who knows how many times she has been already.

Though he should be focusing on his own demons, he can't help but ponder hers.

* * *

**A/N: DID I GET TRANSPORTED TO SOME ALTERNATE REALITY? FUCK**


	49. Chapter 49

"Everything was wonderful, Yuzu," Rukia compliments, and realizes immediately that she's forgotten to use honorifics again.

It doesn't help that the entire Kurosaki family appears to be very relaxed in their speech. Still, this isn't how she's been trained, and it certainly isn't how a Kuchiki behaves. Fortunately, Yuzu doesn't seem to mind, instead flushing with pleasure at the implied familiarity.

Regardless, Rukia makes sure to bow respectfully to Ichigo's father. "Thank you again, Kurosaki-san."

"Please." The bearded man pulls her into a sudden bear hug. "Call me Papa."

She blinks owlishly into his Hawaiian shirt, startled. "I…"

* * *

**A/N: Not sure yet about my other fics, but I feel like I have to finish this one out of spite**

** Kubo doesn't appreciate his characters, but I do**


	50. Chapter 50

"Stop being so weird," Ichigo huffs, and then she's free again, his passing fingers warm on her skin. "Are you sure you need to leave? We're not even finished yet."

Her brother will notice if she's gone much longer, and this isn't something she wants to share, to have to explain. So she merely meets Ichigo's amber gaze and says smartly, "You don't need me anyway."

"Yes he does," Karin deadpans, a sudden grin splitting her face.

Rukia catches his scowl as he makes a half-hearted grab for his sister. She misses the strange, fleeting expression before it.


End file.
